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Demon
Demons (悪魔; Akuma) are supernatural beings who occasionally come to the human world to form Faustian Contracts with humans, offering a range of services in return for the future consumption of the individual's soul. Overview right|thumb|170px|A "pet" from the demons' world. Demons seem to exist for the sole purpose of consuming souls of humans. They seem to be capable of doing this by either forming a Faustian contract with a human or by simply taking their souls. However, Sebastian Michaelis states the latter method is like "messily sampling every dish available."Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 26, page 28 It is unknown why, since demons can take souls without a contract, they do not simply do that for all souls. Sebastian suggests that it may have something to do with the quality of the soul of the human, as he seems to have chosen Ciel Phantomhive for this reason alone. However, quality of the soul seems to be subjective, as Shinigami William Spears states that he does not see how Sebastian can consider Ciel to be "high-class goods."Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 26, page 34But this may also be because Will Spears is a Shinigami and not a demon and does not understand the tastes of a demon. There are two aesthetics of demons: one, their masters' orders are absolute and two, obey those orders while keeping their contracts. These two aesthetics are the reason for most demons' actions. There is no faith or loyalty that prompts demons to act otherwise. However, demons are highly afraid of breaking their aesthetics, this being why they value their masters' lives above their own.Kuroshitsuji Character Guide page 8 Those that are contracted receive a mark of their contract somewhere on both the demon's and the human's bodies, although it seems this location is variable, as Sebastian's contract is on his left hand, while Ciel's is on his right eye. The contract is comparable to a scar that allows the demon to be able to locate his or her master at any time. For the human, it allows him or her great authoritative power over the demon, but all the same he or she can never escape the demon. Sebastian likens the contract to a "collar."Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 26, page 29 In order to create the contract, a human has to summon a demon. However, it seems that they do not need to be aware of the existence of demons, attempt to summon a specific demon, or even summon one intentionally, as Ciel states he summoned Sebastian accidentally.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 36, page 13 It seems that a human needs to have a lack of faith in God, and be desperately searching for a way out, if Ciel's situation is indicative of a typically summoning process. Sebastian states that once summoned, this fact will not change for all eternity. All the same, it seems that the human still has the option to go through and create the contract, or dismiss the demon, as when Sebastian was summoned, he asks Ciel to make a decision.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 19, pages 10-11 However, the creation of the contract seems to be done as soon as a human orders the demon to do something.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 19, page 12''Kuroshitsuji'' manga, Chapter 11, page 29 William compares a demon's contract with humans to poking fun at them and then leeching anything that comes out as a means of survival, to which Sebastian says he does not dismiss that claim.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 12, page 24 It seems that while demons are physically capable of consuming human food, as shown through Sebastian's sampling of lemonade, cake, curry, and wine at various points, only human souls are able to satiate their hunger. William states that refraining from consuming souls can leave a demon "starving" to the point that they cannot help themselves.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 26, page 28 However, this does not seem to negatively affect Sebastian, at least not in the same way starvation would kill a human, although Angela comments that his being starved causes him to feel more pain than normal when physically injured.Kuroshitsuji anime, Episode 20 All the same, demons do seem to be able to be afflicted by problems similar to humans, such as when Sebastian complains of heartburn after drinking lemonade.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 1, page 12 Demons are said to be "devoid of love"Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 11, page 30 and that they lack convictions and loyalties.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 13, page 27 All the same, they have their principles, which include following their masters' orders and maintaining the integrity of a contract. Sebastian states that after the contract was made with Ciel, he even made a vow to the moon to be the Sebastian Ciel called for. Grell Sutcliff states that making a vow to the moon is the mark of a dishonest man. Demons also seem to have a long-standing hatred of Shinigami, which is illustrated through Sebastian's interactions with William Spears and Grell Sutcliff, particularly in the manga.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 26, page 27-30 Grell sums this up by saying, "If the job of a Shinigami is to recover the souls of the dead, then demons can be likened to pests that snatch these souls away just for the sake of devouring them."Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 11, page 26 Sebastian, on the other hand, calls their use of the cinematic record "just a terrible interest" and the worst sort of spying activity.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 10, page 11 However, it is understood that, as far as demons go, Sebastian is not particularly harmful, as William states that he is "slightly better" than the others''Kuroshitsuji'' manga, Chapter 12, page 24 and that he's "not the type to feast."Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 35, page 17 Abilities Demons are shown to have a variety of abilities, including: *'Enhanced speed': Sebastian has demonstrated the ability to outrun a car that was attempting to speed away from him.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 3, pages 33-40 He is also able to run to places in one hour that would take a day to get to by coach or railroad.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 30, pages 22-23 *'Enhanced endurance': While fighting Grell Sutcliffe, who was wielding his powerful death scythe, Sebastian was able to sustain multiple injuries from him and continue fighting and protecting Ciel. Sebastian is also able to survive attacks that would kill humans, such as when shot in the head and chest multiple times by Azzurro Vanel's men. *'Enhanced sense of smell': Sebastian is able to find humans based on smell, including ones he has never personally met, is able to deduce if they are dead, alive, or injured, and is able to discern if someone is a human or a member of another race, as shown when he quickly identified Agni as a human rather than a Shinigami. Sebastian states that he is able to pick up any kind of scent.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 30, page 29 thumb|120px|right|Sebastian uses his fire manipulation abilities. *'Transformation': Sebastian has demonstrated that he can switch between his human form to his true demon form and back quickly. At the end of Chapter 47, it is revealed that Jeremy was in fact Sebastian. He rips the outer layer of skin off like a mask and is once again, Sebastian. It is questionable as to where this is an ability all demons have. Claude also seems to be able to transform into the form of a spider. During Episode 4, Claude is seen having a long, inhuman tongue briefly. *'Soul staining': It is not known precisely how this works or what it entails, but Grell states that a demon's hands and lips have the ability to stain a soul. *'Fire control': By revealing the sign of his contract, Sebastian is able to set an entire mansion on fire from three small candles.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 34, page 23 It is unknown if this is an inherent ability or if a demon needs to have a contract in order to use it. *'Manipulation': Beyond making contracts for a human's soul, Sebastian has offered to make other deals or attempted to charm and manipulate people in order to get what he wants. William has called this the "signature" ability of a demon, and states that it works by "deceiving prey with sweet words and draging them into darkness."Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 28, pages 26-27 While ineffective against William, he later uses this ability to get Beast, who initially dislikes Sebastian, to reveal important information. *'Body Manipulation:' Sebastian is shown to be able to twist someone's arm just by twirling his finger.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 4, page 38 Known Demons: *Sebastian Michaelis *Claude Faustus *Thompson *Cantebury *Timber *Hannah Anafeloz *Ciel Phantomhive Known Contracted Humans: *Ciel Phantomhive *Alois Trancy *Luka Macken References Navigation Category:Races